Nineveh
The Sennacherib's palace
The construction of a royal palace is by far the most effective and long-lasting instrument of celebration and glorification that Assyrian royalty had made use of. In 704 B.C. and in the heart of the Assyrian empire, in the capital and metropolis mentioned in the Bible for its grandeur and subsequent ruin, Sennacherib founded his new residence.
We are familiar with the main stages of construction of Nineveh’s southwest palace from documents from the royal chancery: no less than ten years were necessary to build what ancient sources referred to as the “palace without rival”.
The great building site saw the creation of a residence of imposing proportions (approximately 200 m per side) that was decorated with the most valuable and rare materials: gold, silver and bronze; stones delivered from distant lands such as red gemstone, alabaster and breccia; sturdy and perfumed wood such as sandal, juniper, cedar and ebony; in addition to ivory for the furnishings. The participation of all subjugated peoples, through labour and tributes, was simultaneously an assertion and a propaganda demonstration of Assyria’s supremacy over nearby peoples.